Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Milling your own lumber, breaking down the tree into usable pieces, is only half the problem. If the wood is still green, and it most likely will be, you still have to remove one of the last traces of its former life: the water inside it.
Removing that water can take weeks or even months because wood doesn’t dry evenly. The outside dries first while the inside stays wet, creating internal stresses. If those stresses become too great, the wood can check or crack and ruin what you started.
Depending on the size of your stock, we can speed that up, as long as you have a little patience. A microwave…yep, a microwave, can help dry small pieces of stock. No, I’m not talking about hitting the popcorn button and three minutes later it’s done.
I came up with this method years ago, then later found out other woodworkers were doing something very similar. This is my method.
First, mill your lumber oversized because water removal can cause it to shrink, cup or twist. I use a scale to record my starting weight, and later the scale will help me decide when it’s time to stop.I’ll add my stock, microwave it for about a minute, pull it out, being very careful to use the wife’s oven mitts, and give it time to release moisture and cool down. Watch the heat. This is where the patience comes in.
I may repeat this a few times, waiting about 10 minutes between cycles. But if the wood starts getting too hot, I’ll give it a much longer rest, sometimes an hour, before continuing.
So when is it done? I keep weighing the wood between cycles. When the weight stops dropping, that's when I let my wife have her microwave back. Then I let the wood rest so the remaining moisture can balance out.
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Milling your own lumber, breaking down the tree into usable pieces, is only half the problem. If the wood is still green, and it most likely will be, you still have to remove one of the last traces of its former life: the water inside it.
Removing that water can take weeks or even months because wood doesn’t dry evenly. The outside dries first while the inside stays wet, creating internal stresses. If those stresses become too great, the wood can check or crack and ruin what you started.
Depending on the size of your stock, we can speed that up, as long as you have a little patience. A microwave…yep, a microwave, can help dry small pieces of stock. No, I’m not talking about hitting the popcorn button and three minutes later it’s done.
I came up with this method years ago, then later found out other woodworkers were doing something very similar. This is my method.
First, mill your lumber oversized because water removal can cause it to shrink, cup or twist. I use a scale to record my starting weight, and later the scale will help me decide when it’s time to stop.I’ll add my stock, microwave it for about a minute, pull it out, being very careful to use the wife’s oven mitts, and give it time to release moisture and cool down. Watch the heat. This is where the patience comes in.
I may repeat this a few times, waiting about 10 minutes between cycles. But if the wood starts getting too hot, I’ll give it a much longer rest, sometimes an hour, before continuing.
So when is it done? I keep weighing the wood between cycles. When the weight stops dropping, that's when I let my wife have her microwave back. Then I let the wood rest so the remaining moisture can balance out.
Like step by step projects? Check out the second channel! → @makethingswithrob
Buy me a beverage! → buymeacoffee.com/makethings ←
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Marc B.
Richard B.
Ben. K
Bill Patterson
D. Lundman
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
